Kat13....I love this site, but it frustrated me since my feeddogs don't drop. But I've tried some of her straight lines. Someday I hope I can do more.

I have always straight line quilted my quilts- sometimes diagonally one way, and then across the other for diamonds, or squares, or just SITD, which I actually only started doing in the last year. I've been quilting for 24 years, can you tell I don't change quickly?

I really cheat and I've never seen it mentioned in the forum. I've been using borders and blocks made easy, They have the quilting pattern on paper, adhere to the fabric then you follow the lines and tear the paper away. It's a pain to get all of the paper out of the stitches but it is much better than I can do freehand at this point. I get my patterns on ebay simply called 'Boarders or Blocks Made Easy". Is it such a lousy method that no one has mentions it here? It works for me,although my stitches are pretty uneven with practice that should get better.

I did free motion quilts on my sewing machine before I got my mega quilter and frame and they were always king size or queen size - no matter what size they start out to be they always seem to get bigger and my family likes they big....
I found it was easier for me to put my little machine on a coffee table at one end and the quilt on the other - sometimes I would try to roll it but they always seem to have a mind of their own - so, I just kept fm until they were done - I know that mine won't ever be in a show or be a show piece but the people who get them love them just the same.....I could not sew in a straight line even if I wanted too.... and have trouble with my hands and having adult ada I would never finish a hand quilting quilt...

I've had all those same thoughts. When I learned to quilt, I was told I had no choice but to send my quilts to a long-arm quilter. Either that or tie all of them. Of course, tying would spoil certain designs. Recently though, I tried fmq and was surprised at how much less difficult it was than I expected it to be. I have a wireless internet connection, and so I just sat with my laptop next to my sewing machine and did some of Leah Day's designs. I watched the tutorial, and then did what she did. Sometimes I could copy her, and sometimes I couldn't. But even if it didn't look like hers, it didn't look half bad. So I'm getting bolder now. If you can relax, and not expect perfection right off the bat, you can do it. Really. Downy quilts are a good way to practice too. I'm getting ready to practice a design on my 4th Downy quilts, and if it works out, I'll move on to a quilt that is waiting on me.

I don't think this is cheating - I do it, too. Called it "borders by the roll" or something similar in a previous post.

Also, I have heard that it is helpful to move a card table or something else behind the table you are using to increase the surface that the quilt lays on as you quilt it. I don't have the room, so I use my ironing board if necessary to relieve some of the weight.

Hey I read somewhere...probly on this site, that you can put a recipe card over the feed dogs if they don't drop down, probly would have to tape it over them. worth a try?
Kat

My feed dogs want drop either but I was able to find a plate to attach and it really helps. Go online to your machine mfg and maybe you can find something that will work.

Gail

What is straight line quilting? I have a medium arm quilt machine and I would like to know. Have never made a full size quilt on the machine.

Like some of the others I have done the SID. I recently did one that I tried some FM on different parts and like the one said it looked pathetic. I then got one of the patterns that you trace on or dust it with chalk. I lowered my feeddogs and went to town. I was really pleased with the results. I have decided that I can't do anything without some sort of pattern. It may be that I will have to draw with the wash away pens and follow my own design.